新概念英语4册第9课

Royal Espionage

Alfred the Great acted as his own spy, visiting Danish camps disgused as a minstrel. In those days wandering minstrels were welcome everywhere. They were not fighting men, and their harp was their passport. Alfred had learned many of their ballads in his youth, and could vary his programme with acrobatic tricks and simple conjuring.

While Alfred`s little army slowly began to gather at Athelney, the king himself set out to penetrate the camp of Guthrum, the commander of the Danish invaders. These had settled down for the winter at Chippenham: thither Alfred went. He noticed at once that discipline was slack: the Danes had the self-confidence of conquerors, and their security precautions were casual. They lived well, on the proceeds of raids on neighbouring regions. There they collected women as well as food and drink, and a life of ease had made them soft. Alfred stayed in the camp a week before he return to Athelney. The force there assembled was trivial compared with the Danish horde. But Alfred had deduced that the Danish were no longer fit for prolonged battle: and that their commissariat had no organization, but depended on irregular raids.

So, faced with the Danish advance, Alfred did not risk open battle but harried the enemy. He was constantly on the move, drawing the Danes after him. His patrols halted the raiding parties: hunger assailed the Danish army. Now Alfred began a long series of skirmishes -- and within a month the Danes had surrendered. The episode could reasonably serve as a unique epic of royal espionage!

阿尔佛雷德作为自己的侦探，伪装成一个歌手，成功潜入了丹麦人的营地。当时流浪歌手很受欢迎。他们不好战，而他们的竖琴就是自己的护照。阿尔佛雷德年轻时学习丹麦人的歌谣，并可以在节目中穿插一些杂技和魔术。

当阿尔佛雷德的小规模军队在Athelney缓慢集结时，他自己则去刺探丹麦侵略者指挥官Guthrum的营地。他们定居在Chippenham准备过冬，而这正是阿尔佛雷德要去的地方。阿尔佛雷德注意到他们纪律很松散。丹麦人对于他们会赢得胜利相当自信，因此警惕性很低。他们住的很好，并从对附近区域的搜捕中获得收益。他们在那里像搜集食品和饮料一样搜集妇女。生活的安逸使他们变的软弱。阿尔佛雷德回到Athelney前在那里呆了一周。和丹麦的游牧部落比起来，在Athelney聚集起来的力量简直微不足道。但是阿尔佛雷德认为丹麦人不再适合长期的拖延战，而且他们的粮食补给是依靠不规则的搜捕，没有统一的组织。

因此，面对强大的丹麦人，阿尔佛雷德没有冒险地开战，而是不断骚扰敌人。他不停地移动，让丹麦人跟在后面。他的巡逻阻止了对方的搜捕，丹麦人开始被饥饿困扰。而阿尔佛雷德则开始发动一系列小规模冲突。不到一个月，丹麦人已经投降了。这件事可以很好地被认为是皇家侦探的一段伟大事迹。